Virgina: Mother's Memory
by Sealeena
Summary: She always wanted to know the reason why her mother abandoned Genis and her. Now, she has the chance to. The question is did she really expect the answer she was finding? One shot. Rest of summary inside. Please R&R!


Disclaimer- I don't, in any way, own Tales Of Symphonia. I beg, just don't sue me because I don't have any money and I'm not profiting from this in any way.

Summary- She always wanted to know the reason why her mother abandoned Genis and her. Now, she has the chance to. The question is did she really expect the answer she was finding? One shot. Told from Raine's point of view. Sometimes, it's best to let the past go unsaid.

Virginia: Mother's Memory

_Virginia, my mother_

_I can't bring myself to love her_

I still can't figure out why we went to Exire. Maybe it was Lloyd's desire to see the city in the sky, maybe it was to make a pact with the Summon Spirit Maxwell. I have a feeling that those weren't true reasons, especially for my coming. I had a feeling it was to find out a truth left behind so long ago.

After all, Exire was a place of half-elves. There was that small possibility that **she** was here. I didn't want to know, but deep in my heart, I needed to find out what was the reason after all these years.

We walked past houses that were crumbling with age. There weren't many inhabitants, but every time we walked past someone, they looked at us with what seemed as almost confusion and fear. I tried to ignore it and kept my eyes to my boots. Even if I was a half-elf, I didn't feel like much of one right now.

Lloyd stopped for a moment and pointed to one of the few houses that seemed to be in good shape. He suggested that we go in there, maybe to ask the whereabouts of Maxwell. I nodded and decided to accompany him while the others waited outside.

We walked inside and looked around. It was just one room, mostly a bed and a table. An old man, probably the elder of this tiny town, was sitting at the table, reading a book. As soon as he heard us enter, he looked up and his eyes widened in surprise.

Quickly, he stood up. "Virginia?" he asked. "Is that you? Oh…I'm sorry. I thought that you were her for a moment."

"Virginia?" Lloyd looked at me in confusion. "Who's that?"

My voice got caught in my throat. I couldn't speak for a moment. It came to me that **she** might be here, in this very place, so close by. I wanted to faint.

"Virginia is…my mother," I finally said. I turned to Lloyd. "We should go now."

We stepped out of the house. My knees were turning to mush and my throat became dry. My vision turned blurry. Were there tears in my eyes? But, I knew she was here. I had to find her.

_After the hardships that befell me_

_I just couldn't go and let her be_

"Lloyd…we have to find her. Please." I knew I was sounding desperate, but I couldn't help myself. I had to confront her.

He nodded and told the others that we had a few things to do. As we ran off, I grabbed Genis, ignoring his inquisitions. There was no time. I had to find her…now.

_Abandoning Genis and I_

_All this time I've lived one big lie_

We walked by another house that was solid, without too much sign of decay. An old woman stood not too far away from it.

"Don't go near that place," she warned.

"Why not?" I asked. My heart was racing now.

"A half-elf named Virginia lives there. She's a little touched, so no one talks to her much these days."

I was breathing hard. Before I even knew it, I dragged Genis into the house, completely ignoring the woman's warnings. Lloyd followed. He was saying something, but I didn't hear. It was as if I was in a fog. Nothing was coming to me rationally. I had to see her, after all these years.

Then…I saw her. She still looked the same, after all this time.

_But, looking at her now,_

_I want to what happened, why and how_

"Shh," she said. "Be careful. You could wake up Raine." She wasn't referring to me, but to a doll that she was cradling in her arms.

Genis became shocked. He soon enough figured it out. "Huh? She has the same name as…no…it can't be…"

Mother ignored our words. She continued on babbling. "I have another child on the way. I've already decided on a name. If it's a girl, it's Jean. If it's a boy, it's Genis. Aren't they lovely names?"

"Are you Virginia?" Lloyd asked. He apparently wasn't really catching on to the situation at hand.

"Yes, that's right." She appeared surprised that we knew that. "How did you know?"

We all looked at her incredulously. Genis gasped. At that point, I lost control of myself. I snapped. I was no longer a professor, or a calm woman. I felt like I was heading back into time, and my childish self sprang out.

"Stop this!" I growled.

"Professor Sage—" Lloyd tried to quell the rising tension, but I wouldn't have it. She needed to hear.

"What were you thinking!" I was already shouting. "Do you know what happened to the two of us since you abandoned us?" I was beginning to feel hysterical, but it didn't matter anymore. I didn't care.

A look of shock grew on her face. "Wh- what? Why are you raising your voice like that? You'll wake Raine…"

_I think of her everyday_

_Afraid my memories might fly away_

"**I'm** Raine!" I screamed. My hands started flying up and down. "**I'm** the daughter you shunned and abandoned! Not that…**doll**! Look! Genis is here too!"

I was on the verge of tears. What was happening here? It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to tell me what happened, what her reasons were, but…she was acting crazy! She probably was, judging from the way she was acting.

"What are you talking about?" She looked fearful now. "There must be something **wrong** with you."

_And with what she's said_

_I'll never get it out of my head_

I was crying now. Tears were streaming down my face, flowing freely. They were salty and warm. This was a sign of me breaking, but I couldn't hold it back any longer. Everything was coming down around me. This wasn't my mother. This was some, some person who looked like my mother. My mother was dead now.

"**You're** the one that's wrong!" I felt myself slumping to the floor, but held myself stubbornly in place. The real tears hadn't come, not yet. I wouldn't let **her** see them either. "How could you…how could you—"

"Oh…" Her attention turned fully to the doll. "Now you've gone and made Raine cry." She looked at us, anger written in her features. "Please **leave**," she said firmly. "There, there." She went back to the doll now, soothing it. "It's okay Raine. See, the scary people have gone now. Don't cry."

_The events that happened in the past,_

_They'll never leave, they'll always last_

My heart broke. I made a small sob and fled that awful place. I wish I'd never saw her. It was all like a dream. It was like a dream that had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

I ran from the house, and I heard Genis cry my name, but I didn't answer. All I could focus on were those words she said to "Raine".

The **real **tears were flowing freely now. I tried to catch my breath.

"_It's okay Raine…don't cry…"_

Sometimes, it's best to let the past go unsaid.

_But still, Virginia, my mother,_

_I couldn't bring myself to love her_

Author's Notes- Okay. I want to say, I stayed as true as I could to the game and recorded this scene with Virginia. Of course, I tweaked it a little, with the dialog and everything, especially telling it from Raine's point of view, but I felt that would be the most effective way to convey this. Those little rhymes sprinkled throughout it were mine and mine alone, so I'm sorry if they're corny. I'm not good at poetry. Now, I kind of wanted to do this for a while now. I've never really been attached to Raine before, but I always wondered about her mother. I wonder if maybe I'm a little deranged by writing this. It's kind of sad and disturbing…I think. It seems that I just write weird stuff, ehhhhh? Well, I would really appreciate some C&C on this. Maybe I'll do more one shots for the rest of the TOS gang. Bye for now! Ciao.


End file.
